Vikings' Kendricks, Barr to NFL: 'Your statement said nothing'

Commissioner Roger Goodell's statement addressed Floyd -- an African American
whose death in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25 led to officer Derek
Chauvin, who is white, being arrested Friday and charged with third-degree
murder and second-degree manslaughter. It also addressed two other African
Americans who were victims of gun violence earlier this year, Breonna Taylor
and Ahmaud Arbery.

In the statement, the NFL addressed its commitment to using its platform "in
communities and as part of the fabric of American society" and that "we
embrace that responsibility and are committed to continuing the important work
to address these systemic issues together with our players, clubs and
partners."

Kendricks and Barr, who are on the team's social justice committee, denounced
the league's stance while issuing identical tweets on Twitter.

"Your statement said nothing," both tweets read. "Your league is built on
black athletes. Vague answers do nothing. Let the players know what you're
ACTUALLY doing. And we know what silence means."

The tweet included an illustration with an NFL shield logo accompanied by the
words "We Want Answers."

Kendricks and Barr issued a series of tweets saying that the Vikings are
asking for input from fans and others on social media on how the organization
can best support the area after last week's tragic events.

"If anyone has suggestions for how to support the city, we'd love to hear
them," the tweets read. "Our team doesn't just want to donate -- we want to
work with local organizations and get out there to help facilitate change. ...
But we want answers at the league level. That's where change can happen, and
we've seen none. Because right now, it seems like nothing. And nothing is
unacceptable.

"You can't bring in people to teach us how we should interact with police but
not work towards changing the behavior of the police themselves. Silence will
not make this go away."

The Vikings linebackers weren't the only ones to take issue with the NFL
statement.

Houston Texans wideout Kenny Stills, who has been a vocal protestor of racial
injustice during his NFL career, gave a pointed response Saturday on Twitter,
writing only, "Save the bull----"

--Field Level Media